Experts usually receive good media exposure when antivirus software fails to protect users from a virus. Sometimes, though, they receive bad publicity. If a congressman puts experts on the hotseat, for example, the experts will say "there is no 'magic bullet' in computer security."

This leads us to ask two questions. First, how did we survive this long if there's no magic bullet? Second -- and more important -- why do so many antivirus vendors' advertisements say they can solve all of our virus problems?

Experts claim the average teenage virus writer is "always one step ahead" of the entire global antivirus brain trust. Yet the overwhelming majority of virus writers qualify as poor-to-mediocre "wannabees." They rely almost exclusively on someone else's work -- usually the work of another poor-to-mediocre wannabee. Rather than break new ground, virus writers typically make trivial changes to someone else's virus and call it their own. "Outright plagiarism" does not keep virus writers one step ahead of antivirus experts.

Reporters often ask virus experts to talk about the number of new viruses seen each year. They whip out "sobering" charts & graphs showing a "horrendous" increase of new viruses over the last decade. These charts predict "exponential" future growth with bleak prospects. "We've got x thousand viruses already," the experts moan, "and the number of new viruses is increasing an alarming rate."

Experts and high-ranking political officials love to use the "wake-up call" cliché when they talk about a high-profile computer security incident. Of course, when the media circus dies down, users hit the snooze button and go back to sleep.

Experts get a lot of media exposure whenever antivirus software fails to stop the spread of a new virus. These experts will often wipe their brow on TV and say "it's amazing this virus was only as deadly as it was. Why, it could have been sooo much worse..."